February 2014: CITY 1 (McHugh 90) PORT VALE 0

PHIL Parkinson is not even 50 days into the two-and-a-half year deal he signed as Sunderland’s latest manager in October.

But already the former Bantams boss is feeling the heat after a sticky start which has seen the Black Cats win only two of his 11 matches in charge.

It probably wasn’t the happiest 52nd birthday for Parkinson on Sunday as he tries to reverse the slide at a club not known for their patience with the man in the hot-seat.

City fans rightly look back on his five-year reign at Valley Parade as one of the most progressive periods of their recent history.

But among the cup shocks, Wembley visits and promotion, there were some equally tough spells. That was when he was grateful to a board who were not looking to pull the trigger at the slightest wobble.

Having steered the Bantams back to League One in 2013, they were sitting pretty in fourth spot at the start of October. A Kyel Reid thunderbolt sealed victory at Walsall to make it three wins on the bounce.

Nobody could predict the drought that would follow.

After the triumphant trip to the Bescot on October 5, City would win just once more until mid-February. A 3-2 victory at MK Dons was their sole success in 21 outings.

The miserable run had produced just eight points from 13 games after stadium:mk. City had not won at home since September as they headed into a midweek clash with Port Vale.

To add to the pressure, Vale were unbeaten in their previous five Valley Parade visits.

City made the early running with on-loan wingers Kyle Bennett and Adam Reach having shots charged down and James Hanson firing first time across goal from the corner of the box.

But the hosts survived a huge scare when Jon McLaughlin shanked his clearance and found himself stranded out of goal as Chris Lines let fly from 35 yards out.

Fortunately for the keeper, Rory McArdle recovered in time to head off the line.

The centre half then went close at the other end while Reach’s curler was tipped over the bar by Vale’s Chris Neal.

McArdle was busy again when City were almost caught on the break, tracking back 50 yards to block off Ben Williamson’s dangerous run. Then McLaughlin produced strong hands to deny Doug Loft after a poor back header by Nathan Doyle.

The Vale skipper then almost sliced into his own net at the start of the second half as Aaron Mclean’s overhead kick caused panic in a crowded box.

Andrew Davies and Reach both went close as City continued to up the pressure to find that elusive breakthrough.

Reach was causing Vale plenty of problems and his half-volley from Stephen Darby’s cross pinged back off the foot of the post. Try as they might, the ball would not go in.

The game drifted into stoppage time – and City finally struck in front of the Kop.

Gary Jones swung in their eighth corner of the contest and Carl McHugh rose above the pack to steer the ball back in the direction it came from and into the top corner.

The young Irishman would not have been playing if Matthew Bates had not been laid low with a hip problem.

Drafted in to fill in at left back, McHugh came up with only his second City goal – and one arguably just as significant as the header that beat Aston Villa’s Shay Given in the Capital One Cup semi-finals a year before.

CITY: McLaughlin, Darby, McArdle, Davies, McHugh, Bennett (Thompson 71), Jones, Doyle, Reach, Mclean (Gray 89), Hanson.

PORT VALE: Neal, Yates, Grimmer, Dickinson, Jones, Davis, Loft, Lines, Griffith, Pope, Williamson (Hugill 73).

REFEREE: Mark Brown

ATTENDANCE: 12,106